175 world leaders sign UN climate accord for #ParisAgreement

175 world leaders signed the historic Paris climate agreement accord on Friday, which is also Earth Day. The signing sets a record for the number of countries signing an agreement on the first available day, according to the Associated Press.

Speaking at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the importance of this accord. "We are in a race against time," he said. "The era of consumption without consequences is over." the Secretary General added that this is a widespread issue, affecting everyone. "The poor and most vulnerable must not suffer further from a problem they did not create," he said.

"These young people are our future. Our covenant is with them," Ban Ki-Moon said. "Today is a day for our children and grandchildren and all generations to come."

The treaty was approved in Paris in December 2015 after years of U.N. climate negotiations. It aims to slow the rise of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, which are main contributors to global warming.

President of the World Resources Institute, Andrew Steer said that the signing could not come soon enough. "Each month since the Paris agreement was reached has brought fresh evidence that Mother Nature has a fever and all life on Earth is suffering the consequences," he stated.